Immediate Release David Maness Sharpe Planetarium Supervisor 901.636.2383

dave.maness@memphistn.gov

THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWERMemphis, Tennessee (August 4, 2016) — If good weather holds, this week offers one of our best chances to

see some natural fireworks in the form of ‘shooting stars’ from the annual Perseid Meteor Shower, according to

Dave Maness Supervisor of the Sharpe planetarium at the Pink Palace Museum. “This is one of the most

consistent of the yearly showers for several years running. We can expect to see several dozen meteor sightings

per person every hour, under ideal viewing conditions, more if you are far from city lights.” Unfortunately, the

moon is one day past First Quarter phase so it interferes with meteor watching until it sets after 1:00 a.m. This

year the Perseids are expected to peak at about 8:00 a.m. August 12, so the best time for viewing would be in

the morning hours before dawn.

Typical meteors are sand sized rocks that burn up as they strike the earth's atmosphere at high speeds (roughly

40 miles per second). These are usually debris from the “dirty snowballs” we call comets. Moving in elliptical

orbits, they spend most of their time in the frozen depths of space but put on a fiery display when they swing in

close to the sun. As the ices melt, the solar wind pushes the light gases and solid particles away, forming the

comet's tail or tails as the case may be. Comets that cross the earth’s path may leave particles behind. Earth

then, sweeps them up as it passes through the stream. Most of them burn up completely upon entering the

atmosphere, leaving a bright streak as they pass through the upper atmosphere, but a few rare large ones can

reach the ground as meteorites.

The source of the Perseid meteors is a comet called Swift-Tuttle. It last passed this way in 1992, but it was first

noticed in 1348, long before the mathematics was developed to predict its return. In 1866, astronomers thought

they had solved the problem and predicted it would come back in the 1980s. When it didn't show as expected,

Dr. Brian Marsden of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics refined the calculations and the comet

returned within three weeks of his prediction.

The Perseids get their name from the constellation the earth is traveling toward, when we encounter the

particles. Perseus is seen rising in the northeast in the late evening this time of year. Most of the streaks of light

can be traced back toward this part of the sky. Those that show a different path are called ‘sporadic’ meteors.

Maness offers these observation tips:

Go outside after dark with friends, beach chairs, and bug spray as early as August 11 and as late

as August 13.

Set up chairs or a ground cover, lay back and watch. Before long you should start to see some

meteors.

To photograph a meteor:

you need a stable tripod and a camera with a wide angle lens that will permit long exposures.

Set the camera facing the sky, any direction will do.

Focus on infinity, set the camera to f/2, and then push the button.

Stop the picture before ten minutes are up to avoid washout from scattered sky light.

You may stop it at any time before the ten minutes, if you think you've ‘caught’ a meteor. Then set it up

for another try.

So go outside and enjoy some of nature's fireworks. If you see nothing in a half hour, then you probably live

under skies that are too bright, hazy, or cloudy, one of the downsides of city life in the summertime.

The AutoZone Dome at the Sharpe Planetarium is now open at the Pink Palace Museum. You can learn

more about comets, Meteors, and asteroids in our premier program FireFall every day at 4 p.m. or see any of

our other fine programs like Black Holes, Seasonal Stargazing. For the little ones we have One World, One

Sky (Monday through Saturday at 9:45 a.m.) featuring Big Bird and Elmo. We have a show nearly every hour

during operating hours. You may also view our collection of meteorites and a real Moon rock anytime during

operating hours.

For more information please call 901.636.2362 or go to www.memphismuseums.org. AutoZone Dome at the Sharpe Planetarium in the Pink Palace Museum,

3050 Central Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111